Minnesota Timberwolves Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Timberwolves’ Ricky Rubio Switches Agents

May 16th, 2017 at 9:14pm CST by marksuleymanov

Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio has switched agents and will now be represented by Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports, according to Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press (via Twitter). Rubio was previously represented by longtime NBA agent Dan Fegan.

Rubio, 26, enjoyed arguably his best season ever during the 2016/17 campaign, posting career-highs in PPG (11.1), APG (9.1), and field goal percentage (40.2 percent) through 75 games. The Spaniard, however, has been the subject of trade rumors the past several seasons, so a change in representation could be a preemptive move in case Minnesota finally pulls the trigger on a trade.

The Knicks reportedly discussed a Derrick Rose-for-Rubio swap prior to this year’s trade deadline, but a deal never materialized. Rubio still has two years and over $29MM left on his deal and a head coach in Tom Thibodeau who has indicated that 2016 draft pick Kris Dunn is the team’s future point guard.

As Krawczynski notes, Rubio’s new agent Schwartz is one of the premier reps in the game with an extensive history working with several current and former Timberwolves, including Al Jefferson, Kevin Love, Nikola Pekovic and Cole Aldrich. While there is no deal in place, Schwartz’s familiarity with the team and Rubio’s uncertain status will make him a key player to watch this offseason.

2017 NBA Draft Lottery Results

May 16th, 2017 at 7:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The Celtics will pick first overall in the 2017 NBA draft, having won Tuesday night’s lottery one night after they advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. The C’s, who exercised their rights to swap with the Nets, entered the lottery with the best odds (25.0%) to land that No. 1 overall pick.

The Lakers were the other big winners in the lottery, moving up to No. 2, ensuring that they’ll keep both this year’s pick and 2019’s first-rounder. Had Los Angeles’ pick fallen outside of the top three, it would have been sent to the Sixers, and the Lakers would’ve owed their unprotected 2019 first-rounder to Orlando. Instead, the Lakers will keep this year’s pick and 2019’s, and will send Philadelphia their unprotected 2018 first-round selection.

The Kings also moved up into the top three, but the Sixers will acquire that pick, exercising their right to swap with Sacramento. The Kings will pick at No. 5, which is where Philadelphia would have selected. Sacramento will also land the Pelicans’ selection at No. 10. That New Orleans selection was acquired by the Kings in February’s DeMarcus Cousins trade and was top-three protected.

The Suns are the night’s biggest losers, having moved from No. 2 in the lottery standings down to No. 4 overall. The Magic, Timberwolves, and Knicks each moved down one spot as well.

Here’s the full lottery order for the 2017 NBA draft:

Boston Celtics (via Nets)
Los Angeles Lakers
Philadelphia 76ers (swapped with Kings)
Phoenix Suns
Sacramento Kings (swapped with Sixers)
Orlando Magic
Minnesota Timberwolves
New York Knicks
Dallas Mavericks
Sacramento Kings (via Pelicans)
Charlotte Hornets
Detroit Pistons
Denver Nuggets
Miami Heat

Tonight’s lottery results are fascinating on a number of levels, but particularly so for two of the NBA’s most-storied franchises, the Celtics and Lakers. Boston is in position to either pick a player like point guard Markelle Fultz, considered by draft experts to be a future star, or to dangle that No. 1 overall pick in a trade for an established veteran star next month. The Celtics are coming off a season in which they earned the top seed in the East, and they also own the Nets’ unprotected first-round pick in 2018, so the franchise is extremely well-positioned for the future.

As for the Lakers, they’ll breathe a sigh of relief after hanging onto their 2017 first-rounder, and they’re in position to create a union that has been the subject of much speculation in recent weeks. UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball is widely viewed as the second-best prospect in this year’s draft, and he and his father LaVar have made no secret of the fact that Lonzo wants to play for the Lakers. Tonight’s lottery results make that a very real possibility.

The Kings are another winner tonight, having moved up from No. 8 to No. 5 and having also held onto the Pelicans’ pick at No. 10. Sacramento will be in a great position to pick two cornerstone pieces to kickstart the club’s rebuilding process.

Wolves Work Out Frazier, Peak, Blakeney

May 15th, 2017 at 2:55pm CST by Luke Adams

Georgia guard J.J. Frazier has workouts lined up with the Bucks, Kings, and Lakers after getting a look from the Timberwolves today, tweets Adam Zagoria. L.J. Peak and Antonio Blakeney are among the prospects joining Frazier at Minnesota’s group workout today, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News.

NBA Confirms Lottery Reps, Will Announce All-NBA Teams On Thursday

May 15th, 2017 at 12:43pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA confirmed each team’s representatives today for this year’s draft lottery, which will take place on Tuesday night. As confirmed by the league (via Twitter), here are this year’s reps for lottery teams:

Boston Celtics: Wyc Grousbeck (owner)
Phoenix Suns: Devin Booker
Los Angeles Lakers: Magic Johnson (president of basketball operations)
Philadelphia 76ers: Joel Embiid
Orlando Magic: Frank Vogel (head coach)
Minnesota Timberwolves: Andrew Wiggins
New York Knicks: Walt Frazier (MSG Network broadcaster)
Sacramento Kings: Dave Joerger (head coach)
Dallas Mavericks: Michael Finley (assistant VP of basketball operations)
New Orleans Pelicans: Alvin Gentry (head coach)
Charlotte Hornets: Rich Cho (GM)
Detroit Pistons: Jeff Bower (GM)
Denver Nuggets: Gary Harris
Miami Heat: Alonzo Mourning (VP of player programs)

Additionally, the NBA also announced that it will reveal several award winners and award finalists later this week. The league will unveil its three All-NBA teams on Thursday. Then, prior to the Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Friday, the NBA will name its three finalists for each major award: MVP, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Most Improved Player, and Coach of the Year.

Those individual awards won’t be officially announced until June 26, during the NBA’s inaugural awards broadcast on TNT. However, the All-NBA announcement on Thursday will be an intriguing one. A team’s ability to offer a player a more lucrative Designated Veteran Extension hinges on whether or not he earns an All-NBA nod. So teams like the Pacers and Jazz will be watching very closely to see if Paul George and Gordon Hayward earn All-NBA spots and become eligible for those super-max extensions.

The Story of How The Timberwolves Almost Drafted Isaiah Thomas

May 13th, 2017 at 9:45am CST by marksuleymanov

Isaiah Thomas has gone from last selection in the 2011 NBA Draft to one of the league’s top budding superstars with the Celtics. As he prepares for a Game 7 showdown against the Wizards, stories about Thomas’ unlikely path to stardom continue to circulate and the Timberwolves are the latest team to be connected with the 5’9″ point guard.

Wolves Interviewing Adebayo, Jackson, Other Prospects

May 12th, 2017 at 8:57am CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves are formally interviewing a number of prospects this week at the draft combine in Chicago, including Kentucky’s Bam Adebayo and UNC’s Justin Jackson, per Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter links). Minnesota is in line for the No. 6 pick heading into the lottery — Adebayo and Jackson aren’t expected to be selected that high, but the team is doing its due diligence.

Timberwolves Finalize Purchase Of Iowa Energy

May 3rd, 2017 at 11:28am CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves have finalized the purchase of the Iowa Energy, a D-League franchise, the team announced today (Twitter link). The Energy previously had a partnership with the Grizzlies, but we learned back in January that the Wolves would be taking over control of the Des Moines-based club going forward.

In the wake of today’s announcement, it makes sense to take stock of where things stand in regard to NBA teams and their D-League affiliates. In 2016/17, 22 NBA clubs had one-on-one relationships with D-League teams, leaving eight NBA franchises without their own affiliates. However, changes are in store for the 2017/18 season, as the Development League becomes known as the Gatorade League.

Here are the changes expected for the 2017/18 G-League season, including updates on all the teams without affiliates:

Atlanta Hawks: Will take over the Erie BayHawks, with an affiliate of their own in College Park, Georgia lined up for the 2019/20 season. Previously unaffiliated.
Denver Nuggets: No concrete plans reported.
Los Angeles Clippers: Hoping to operate new affiliate in 2017/18.
Memphis Grizzlies: Will own and operate a new affiliate in Southaven, Mississippi. Previously affiliated with the Iowa Energy.
Milwaukee Bucks: Will own and operate a new affiliate in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Previously unaffiliated.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Will take over the Iowa Energy. Previously unaffiliated.
New Orleans Pelicans: No affiliation for 2017/18. Intend to own and operate a new affiliate for the 2018/19 season. Search reportedly narrowed to six cities.
Orlando Magic: Will own and operate a new affiliate in Lakeland, Florida. Previously affiliated with the Erie BayHawks.
Portland Trail Blazers: No concrete plans reported.
Washington Wizards: No concrete plans reported.

Magic Considering Kevin McHale As President

April 28th, 2017 at 6:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Hall of Famer Kevin McHale is among the candidates to become team president in Orlando, according to Sam Amick of USA Today.

The TNT analyst would bring plenty of experience to the position. He served as president of basketball operations for the Timberwolves from 1995 to 2008, and twice took over as the team’s coach. His last NBA job was as coach of the Rockets from 2011 to 2015.

The Magic are hoping to hire someone with previous GM experience to fill the president’s role. However, McHale is also being considered for a front office position in Minnesota.

Orlando also has strong interest in Cavaliers GM David Griffin, who is not signed beyond this season. That explains why the process has gone so slowly since Rob Hennigan was fired April 13th, as the Magic have hired a search firm but have not spoken to any candidates. Griffin isn’t expected to discuss the job in Orlando until Cleveland’s playoff run is complete.

Amick adds that interim GM Matt Lloyd remains a candidate to keep that post on a permanent basis.

Shabazz Muhammad Hires Rich Paul As Agent

April 26th, 2017 at 1:16pm CST by Luke Adams

With his rookie contract coming to an end, Timberwolves wing Shabazz Muhammad will have new representation for his first foray into free agency. According to Shams Charania of The Vertical (via Twitter), Muhammad has signed with agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports.

As Jake Fischer of SI.com observes (via Twitter), Muhammad had previously been represented by Rob Pelinka of Landmark Sports. When Pelinka was hired by the Lakers as the team’s new general manager, his clients were up for grabs, though some – such as James Harden and Andre Iguodala – have already indicated that they’ll remain with Landmark’s other reps. Muhammad is the first former Pelinka client to leave for another agency, per Fischer.

It should be an interesting offseason for Muhammad, who will be eligible for restricted free agency. Assuming the Timberwolves tender him a qualifying offer, which will be worth about $4.188MM, Minnesota will have the opportunity to match any offer sheet the 24-year-old may sign with a rival suitor.

In his fourth NBA season, Muhammad averaged 9.9 PPG and 2.8 RPG, with a shooting line of .482/.336/.774. The former 14th overall pick has been a regular rotation player for the last three years in Minnesota, averaging 20.5 minutes per contest in 198 total regular season games during that stretch.

The Nets are among the teams rumored to have some interest in Muhammad.

Garnett Discusses Taylor, Saunders

April 23rd, 2017 at 6:06pm CST by Austin Kent

For the second time in a week, former Timberwolves forward Kevin Garnett spoke about his relationship with franchise owner Glen Taylor. A report on ESPN details the conversation KG had with the Associated Press, including how he felt Flip Saunders‘ passing was handled.